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[barkskins]

leonard may have been good at navigating and keeping them safe, but this was lara's terriority. there wasn't a language she couldn't decipher, and decrepit old tombs were like her second home. “chak chel is the ancient goddess of creation and destruction . . . ” the clicked her tongue against her teeth, peering into the darkness, dust motes floating through the blackness, their only invitation. what laid beyond was uncertain and dangerous but, god, it was fun, and lara could barely contain her desire for challenge. “if her key falls into the wrong hands, it could bring forth the mayan apocalypse. if you believe in that sort of thing, of course,” she flicked her braid over one shoulder, “if i were you, i wouldn't dismiss their teachings as easily as people overlooked 2012. this is different. this is real. or so they say." lara outstretched her palm to silently request leonard's flashlight. “if she's the goddess of destruction, i would fire, water . . . puzzles beyond these doors that will seek to test our worth. you think you've got it in you?”

"i do what i can," leonard commented, a flicker of a smile crossing his lips as he watched her expertly decipher the ancient script. she was impressive, always had been, but to see her do it with his own eyes was an experience he knew he wouldn't be forgetting anytime soon. the cave's entrance loomed ahead, its shadow swallowing the last remnants of daylight. the cool air seemed to carry whispers of long-forgotten secrets, amplifying the thrill of their discovery. it was a welcome distraction from his haunting past that seemed to follow him wherever he went, except here. here, none of that mattered. “so, what exactly are we looking for inside? any specific markers or clues that might be hidden from plain sight?” he asked, adjusting his backpack and feeling the reassuring weight of his gear and the small flashlight nestled inside, ready for whatever lay ahead.

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“it's not that i don't like beef,” vale countered. “i grew up eating a lot of fish. my moms wanted me to learn all about our different cultures, growing up in america. my mom is chinese, korean and japanese, and my mama is russian. i suppose i got good food from both camps but, yeah . . . ” she giggled softly, “very fishy.” but she appreciated their attempts to connect vale to her roots, those evenings where she would learn more than school ever offered. it was easy, talking to aj about these sorts of things—family, background, the topics that were so often reserved for further down the line. nothing was difficult with aj. their orders were taken. easy. vale leaned back in her seat, tracking the waiter with her eyes as they disappeared behind the counter and inputted their requests. the longer they waited, the more parched she became; dry throat, a rising warmth, blood filling her cheeks almost impulsively. “things haven't been all that interesting recently,” she tried to bat the ball back to aj but, realising he was persisting, she hesitated and continued, “it's pumpkin spice season again, which means we're super busy at the café.”

she was so pretty — had he eve taken the time to notice that before? aj got lost in the minutiae of her expressions, the gleam of fluorescent light sparkling off her teeth. he felt a slight blush creep up his cheeks and had to look back down at the menu to recollect his thoughts and put his game face back on. something had shifted between them but they were still stubbornly holding onto the vestiges of the past. "not big on beef?" he teased with a light laugh.

he needed that margarita asap.

angel followed suit and pushed his menu away, too. "sounds like a fuckin' stellar plan." he agreed with a bright grin. "you got a good head on your shoulders, girl." he said with a wink, ordering a pineapple margarita and the steak for himself after vale had the opportunity to put in her own requests. alone once more, aj looked at her with a small smile "so, what's the haps? anything new and interesting you want to share with me?" he had to keep them talking for fear of getting lost in her again.

[barkskins]

he wasn't sure he had ever wanted something for himself. truly for himself. nolan's life, until that point, had been lived for other people, a selfless existence even it it meant discomfort for himself. there, in front of daisy, he had a choice. nolan could keep living for others, or he could take the leap that he had been fighting for years. “yeah, yeah, you're my best friend.” the admission came easily, like the jerk of a knee at the doctor's office. instinctual. nolan slowly took daisy's hands in his. “i do want it for myself. i want to get away from a job that i hate. i want to be free, and i want to do it with you . . . beside you.” it was the only thing nolan had ever wanted, to be at daisy's side no matter the consequence.

          ❛ that's the thing, nolan, ❜ she jumps in to slow down the conversation, eager to confirm an additional point before being able to continue. ❛ if you wanna come with us ... you need to want it for yourself. ❜ she makes sure to place emphasis on her words, even reaching out for nolan's knee to catch his attention. her head tilts to match his gaze, but hazel hues are pleading. even if this means their demise, she has always imagined her future with nolan in it. ❛ you're my best friend, right ? you have to be honest with me. ❜

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“that’s my promise to you. i won’t be that guy. i know how those movies end.” and that was half of the fear, knowing that it was the same story told again and again. briar's love made caston want to try anyway, even if their credits rolled with the same silence, with that same heaviness in the pit of your stomach. his fingers gently stroked through her dark tresses, eyes soft, studying every feature in case it was the last time. if he didn't have to hide, silence his phone and inadvertently make briar think that there was somebody else, the rewards he reaped could be shared—stolen jewelry and fancy dinners paid with cash, an undetectable way of laundering. “you're right. we're gonna be just fine. plus, it's even nicer knowing i've got somebody to come home to.” when girlfriend's usually asked how their partner's days had been, caston was sure they weren't expecting tales of gunshots and burnt rubber.

she wanted to tell him she wouldn't get hurt, that there was no way that she could have been dragged into it. but she knew there was nothing he could say that convince her he would never be hurt. " and we could both be completely fine. " he had to be, and she was sure she didn't quite grasp just how dangerous this actually was for him. she couldn't lose him... he couldn't leave her know and leave her wondering if he was okay. but that worry started to dissipate at his kiss, hands coming to his cheeks to stop him from moving too far away. " i can hold on as tight as you need me too. i just... i can't lose you either. that i do know. so don't go, don't leave. don't do that bit in the movie where the guy tried to keep the girl safe by leaving. let me decide if i can handle this or not. "

[barkskins]

♡ TAYLOR ZAKHAR PEREZ emmy's 2024

[barkskins]

jasper reached for the table water with both hands and glugged a healthy dose down. at the very least, it was something to occupy his nervous hands. running their sleeve over their mouth, their eyes darting to the server, he promptly tapped the part of the menu that communicated that they wanted something chocolatey. his gaze flitted, wide-eyed, to ophelia’s phone. “oh, gosh—please don’t answer it.” they squeaked. “i just want to have some time where i'm not being hounded by her. i'm an adult.” sure, maybe jasper enjoyed hot chocolate and cartoons on a particularly stressful evening, shrouded in blankets and reading a good book, but they were twenty-five and independent. he had worked hard for that trophy.

whether  their  reason  for  celebration  is  concerning  or  not  ,  there's  never  a  reason  for  denying  a  rich  ,  chocolatey  desert  .  "  nothing  cures  adrenal  nausea  quite  like  chocolate  .  definitely  both  .  "  phe  attempts  to  sit  higher  in  her  chair  ,  dropping  palms  beneath her thighs to  raise herself   just  enough  to  lock  eyes  with  the  server  .  there's  no  time  to  waste  when  it  comes  to  cake    and  brownies  .  just  as  she  plunks  back  down  does  her  own  phone  buzz  against  the  table  .  "  how  much  do  you  wanna  wager  that's  mum  ??  "

[barkskins]

@sacriiilegious / @fcxglove

[barkskins]

“we're celebrating,” caston replied plainly, squinting through the low light to the woman that had approached. celebrating, to her, likely meant a promotion, an engagement—for him and his friends, it meant a million-dollar heist moving forward without a hitch. caston was only the driver, a spare part, so he was the one sent back and forth, putting in the orders, dealing in dodgy cash. “me and my colleagues, we've had a killer quarter. it's only right that i got the drinks in.” his lips peeled away from his teeth in a glittering smile. “not causing any problems, are we?”

open to : m / f / nb !

" you losing pool real hard tonight or feelin' real generous ? " jade inquires with the near empty bar behind them . it was getting late and while she tended to people watch when it got real slow , she'd been seeing this one regular on and off since she started avoiding relentless flirting that had long since begun to wear her down . " that's the third round you've put on your tab for all your friends . "

[barkskins]

hello angels ! i'm coming back into the writing world. it's been a crazy while, but i'm finally able to come back and start making a dent in my drafts. i don't think i need to drop any threads ( i'll let you know ) but i'll probably start rounding things off/pushing them to a close. here are the replies i have drafted/i'm working on. crossed out are completed & i'm just waiting until i catch up to post them. please let me know if i've missed anything !

completed:

caston & briar

striker & norah

mari & ethan

ada & jaden

jade & jaden

juni & jaden

gaten & jasper

napoleon & jasper,

daisy & nolan

connor & jasper

drafted:

jasmine & sterling

lara & leonard

aj & vale

evanie & karenna

naomi & jaden

sanem & fletcher

jasper & ophelia

matthew & evanie

striker & rosalind

[barkskins]

ZIÓN MORENO as HEATHER — PROM DATES (2024) dir. Kim O. Nguyen

[barkskins]

NICHOLAS GALITZINE AS HAYES CAMPBELL The Idea of You (2024), dir. Michael Showalter

[barkskins]

@sacriiilegious

American Horror Story  |  9x04 - “True Killers”

[barkskins]

[barkskins]

hello angels ! i'm coming back into the writing world. it's been a crazy while, but i'm finally able to come back and start making a dent in my drafts. i don't think i need to drop any threads ( i'll let you know ) but i'll probably start rounding things off/pushing them to a close. here are the replies i have drafted/i'm working on. crossed out are completed & i'm just waiting until i catch up to post them. please let me know if i've missed anything !

completed:

caston & briar

striker & norah

mari & ethan

ada & jaden

jade & jaden

juni & jaden

gaten & jasper

napoleon & jasper,

daisy & nolan

connor & jasper

lara & leonard

jasper & ophelia

drafted:

jasmine & sterling

aj & vale

evanie & karenna

naomi & jaden

sanem & fletcher

matthew & evanie

striker & rosalind

[barkskins]

you alright? nothing about their situation was alright, but in that moment of silence, with their faces close enough to almost touch, jaden couldn't find much to complain about. after a moment of hesitation, he answered sheepishly, “my leg.” he briefly gestured downwards, keeping his voice at just above a whisper. in the dark, there was only a slither of light from beneath the door that could illuminate their lips to aid in translation. a gentle tug of his pant leg. jaden's ankle was carbon fiber and titanium, a thin yet sturdy bracket keeping his plastic imitation foot firmly connected to the rest of the prosthetic. it always infuriated him, in superhero movies, when those that had bionic limbs were powerful, were fearless, were without pain and struggle. if only. “all this running around isn't doing me any favours, but we can cross that bridge later. the most important thing right now is getting you out of here.” despite the discomfort, he was right by their side. even if jaden was a few steps behind, at every door he was able to catch up. his breath remained high in his throat, suffocated by the risk of being caught.

as they looked amusedly at the man in front of them, jade wondered if jaden was the key to why they'd never been successful in any escape attempt before. maybe they had needed someone else's help all along? their smile grew as jaden looked at them, and they wondered what he was thinking... feeling, if he was going to be alright or need a little bit of jade's help to get through this thing and out the other side.

"you alright?" they ask after a long moment of intense silence. their brow is furrowed and there are little beads of sweat there as they let their finger drop from jaden's lips. their question had been whispered and they trusted he would answer in kind. "i'll keep you safe." jaden had been kind enough, after all, to help jade get out of their room... to get them this far. the rest of it was in their hands.

eager to get out and afraid to let any more crucial time pass, jade listened intently for any noises that would indicate that their location had been compromised. they managed to weave their way through the facility, using jaden's badge at every closed door while praying they would open.

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if he was focusing on ada's beauty, jaden would be there all day. he could wax on endlessly about the way her dark hair fell over her shoulders, the long lashes that almost tickled her eyelids. he had focused on her in every moment where she looked away, if she turned to read a chart at the vet or spent a moment on the computer pulling up buffy's details. was it too forward, asking his vet on a date without the buffer of a sore paw or a yearly shot? “maybe i want to make sure you have a reasonable break,” a good excuse, one he had thought up out of sheer desperation, “and maybe i'd like to spend a bit more time with you without buffy begging for us to leave and go home. you want to help me take her for a walk?” jaden gently tugged buffy's leash and she raised her head, excited. humor had always been a crutch, long before he had ever needed a physical one. “you can get some fresh air, and i have an extra pair of hands if i fall and can't get up.”

ada felt a warm flush spread across her cheeks at his compliment. it wasn't often she received such heartfelt praise, and it made her heart swell a little. she was used to getting compliments on her appearance, but people didn't often compliment her competences. “you’re making me blush,” she said with a soft laugh, her eyes crinkling at the corners. “buffy’s definitely lucky to have you too.” she glanced at her watch, considering his question. “i’ve got a few things to wrap up at the clinic, but nothing that can’t wait. why do you ask?” the brunette tilted her head, curiosity and a hint of excitement evident in her gaze. “is there something specific you had in mind? or are you just trying to steal me away from my work?” her tone was light, playful, but there was a genuine interest in her expression.

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sevin had never seen her like this, a friend that had always been a safe space. for so long, alice had felt like home. they could talk and giggle and share their secrets, their greatest insecurities. now, they felt divorced from one another. “i do want to be with you,” her large, dark eyes glistened with tears, “and i do care. when have i ever shown that i don’t care?” the more they argued, the more sevin trembled; she ran her palm beneath her nose and sniffed. “i'm trying.”

continued from here, @barkskins

alice  wishes  she  could  maintain  a  facade  of  cold  indifference,  but  her  fury  inevitably  gets  the  better  of  her.  "why  would  you  still  be  with  them  when  you  said  that  you  wanted  to  be  with  me?"  the  mixed  signals  are  causing  her  a  serious  headache  and  alice  knows  better  than  to  expose  herself  to  further  heartache.  "why  would  you  act  like  you  care  when  you  clearly  don't?"